Thousands of anti-abortion demonstrators rally during the annual March of Life on the National Mall in Washington, DC, January 22, 2014. / Saul Loeb, AFP/Getty Images

by Natalie DiBlasio, USA TODAY

by Natalie DiBlasio, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON - The March for Life rolled through the nation's snow-covered, bitterly cold capital Wednesday with thousands of hardy souls chanting, walking and listening to speakers press their case against abortion rights.

"We may be freezing, but we are freezing for the best cause in the world," Patrick Kelly, chairman of the march, said to loud applause on the National Mall.

Protesters chanted as they marched: "Hey, hey, ho, ho, abortion has got to go," and "We love babies, yes we do, we love babies, how about you?!"

It was the 41st anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decision in the Roe v. Wade case that affirmed a woman's right to an abortion.

For the ruling's supporters, Wednesday was a day for celebration.

Ilyse Hogue, head of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said her organization was commemorating "the anniversary of the decision that enshrined into law a woman's freedom to decide when, how and with whom to have a family."

The fight to limit abortion has shifted largely to state legislatures. Since 2011, there have been more than 200 abortion restrictions -- mandatory counseling, waiting periods, clinic regulations and more -- enacted in 30 states, compared with 212 between 2001 and 2010, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health think tank that advocates abortion rights.

Some were subsequently invalidated by courts. On Friday, a federal judge struck down a North Carolina law requiring women who want an abortion to have an ultrasound and then have a medical provider describe the image.

The atmosphere Wednesday on the National Mall was upbeat even as signs whipped in the brutal wind: "Babies are precious," "#teamlife" and "I am the pro-life generation."

Mary Baxter, 46, came from Grand Rapids, Mich., with her daughters, Sarah, 18, and Ashleigh, 14.

"We're here today in peaceful protest, just like Martin Luther King," Baxter said. "Life is the first gift we are all given. No one has the right to take that away."

Sarah said she leads a group that stands outside abortion clinics to protest. Sometimes, that means starting at 5 a.m. before she has to go to school.

"We just stand on the sidewalk and pray," Sarah said. "Sometimes people honk in support, but sometimes people even throw cans at us."

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, a Virginia Republican, thanked the crowd for giving a "voice" to the cause.

"You, the marchers, the advocates, who don't mind enduring the worst weather Washington could throw at you for the opportunity to change one heart and one mind - you are our movement's not-so-secret weapon," Cantor told the crowd.

"We come here every year and freeze our buns off," said Steve Antosh, 57, of Fairfax, Va., holding an "Overturn Roe v. Wade" sign. "There is not just a moral problem, there is a political problem."

Matt Woodley, 54, of Wheaton, Ill., was at his first march.

"I am astounded by the number of young people here," he said. "It's absolutely unbelievable."

Also from Wheaton, Diana Soerens, 30, brought her 7-month-old daughter, Zipporah. She said she was glad that this year's theme was adoption. "Sanctity of life is close to my heart and I really love the theme," she said.

It was the 40th year for the march to the Supreme Court, and 2014 brought social media changes. This year there was a March For Life app - and a Facebook "virtual march" where people who couldn't make it to the event could show support by posting a past March for Life photo as their cover photo.

Pope Francis was among those tweeting his support for the marchers: "I join the March for Life in Washington with my prayers. May God help us respect all life, especially the most vulnerable."

Former presidential candidate U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., was among politicians chiming in on Twitter: "My heart is with @March_for_Life today as they speak for the 56 million unborn babies denied their chance at life. #WhyWeMarch."

The weather jammed up many people planning to fly to Washington and stopped some D.C.-bound tour buses.

Veronika Johannsen, 22, of College Station, Texas, beat the weather and arrived safely for her second time at the march. "The face is changing. It's not just white male politicians like the pro-choice people like to say," Johannsen said. "All kinds of people come. Religious groups of all different denominations, former abortion workers, women who have been raped or have been conceived in rape."